Mechanical starter for internal-combustion engines



H. -J. SIMPSON. MECHANICAL STARTER FOR INTERNAECOMBUSTION ENGINES.

v APPLICATIONIFHTED JULY sL-lszo. 1,375A72.

PatentedApr. 19, 1921.

3 SHEETSSHEET l' J77 re n 750 7- 54237-5 7"? anus VIM/x072, '57 WWW Kfiar7253 I H. J. SIMPSON. MECHANICAL STARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTIONENGINES.

APVPLICATIVONVHLED JULY 3|, 1920; 1,375,472. Patented Ap .19, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

$157.2. /6 4 g 2 l 25 /4 27 0 O I 3 /a n 0 Y 7 J O 20 24 Ll O 4 0APPLICATION FIYLED JULY 3|, 1920. 1,375,472;

H. J. SIMPSON.. MECHANICALISTARTER FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3- Ira/1271227 flere ri Qme: Jim :070

3 wwwmm I iiia'rnilj- Patented Apr. 19,1921.

a rs stares rarest crates..

V HERBEET JAMES SIMPSON, OF NORTON-ON-TEES, ENGLAND.

MECHANICAL STARTER F03. INTERNAL-COILEBUSTION ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patentqed Apr. 19, 1921.

Application filed July 31, 1920. Serial No. 400,564.

this kind adapted to convert ajrectilinear motion into a rotarymotionfor startin the vehicle or the like by means of a hand ever or pedallever actuated by the driver from his seat in the vehicle or the like.

The invention consists in the improved mechanical starting apparatus forinternal combustion engines, more particularly of motor driven vehicles,comprising a starting drum or cylinder, rotatably mounted within acasing and geared to the engine shaft, pro vided with one or more doubleendless spiral grooves in which pins engage, each pin belng secured toone end of an operating rod having a rectilinear motion in suitableguides within and parallel to the longitudinal axis of the casing, theother end of the rod being linked by a connecting rod or the like to astarting lever adapted for manual or pedal operation. v

The chief advantage of the present invention lies in the fact that therotation of the drum is always in the same direction. whether thestarting lever be moved forward or backward, this feature being obtainedby the use of the above mentioned double endless spiral grooves.

In order that the nature of the invention may be clearly understood thepreferred form of the improved starting apparatus will now be describedwith the aid of the accompanying drawings in which Figure 1 is a sideview of the apparatus connected.

' up to a starting lever; Fig. 2 is a plan view of the apparatus shownin Fig. 1, the cover being removed and the connection to the startinglever omitted; Fig. 3 is a side View of the grooved drum shown in Fig. 2looking in the direction of the arrow III.

Fig. 4 is an elevation and Fig. 5 a part section of a modifiedconstruction.

Referring to Figs. 1 2 and 3 of the drawings,the apparatus showncomprises cylindrical casing 1 in which is mounted a drum or cylinder 2,the shaft 3 of which rests in suitable bearings 4, 5, at the-ends of thecasing 1, the drum shaft 3 being provided at each end with collars 6 andball bearings 7 to take the thrust of the drum.

'The 'surfaceof the drum 2 is slotted to form double endless spiralgrooves crossing each other and running in opposite directions aroundthe drum. Two such endless spiral grooves 8, 9, are shown. Each groove,makes a half revolution in the whole length of the drum and completesthe revolution by re turning on the opposite side of the drum to itsstarting point.

The casing 1 is provided with a cover 10, I

the space between the casing and the cover forming rectilinear guides 11in which slide crossheads 12, 13, attached to tworods 14, 15, one oneither side of the drum 2. Attached to or forming part of thesecrossheads are pins 16, 17, which respectively engage in the spiralgrooves 8, 9, of the drum as shown.

When the pin 17, for example, moves forward along its groove 9, the drum2 is rotated until the pin 17 reaches the farthest point of the groove.The pin then will have rotated the drum 2 through half a revolution. Onbeing moved backward the pin 17 still moves in its own groove 9, but inthe section of the groove on the opposite side of the drum (Fig. 3),thus returning to its starting point in the groove and cansmg the drum 2to rotate in the same direction as before (Figs. 2 and As shown, therods 14, 15, slide through stuffing boxes 25', 26, and are connected bya cross bar 18 having lugs 19, 20, pierced with a hole to take a pin 22securing the connecting rod 21 which is also pivotally connected to thestarting lever 23. At the other end of the drum .2 a ratchet wheel 24 isprovided co-acting with a pawl 28, while a sprocket wheel 27 is securedupon the a ther half revolution in the same dirction as before, thusproviding a continuous rotary motion. a

The rotary motion of the drum shaft 3 is transmitted by the sprocketwheel 27 which acts as a free Wheel, that is, revolves freely in onedirection only, by an endless chain to the sprocket Wheel fixed on theen gine or motor shaft.

In the arrangement shown in Figs. 4 and 5 only a single groove 9 isprovided in the drum 2 and the pin 17 engaging in the groove iscarried,by a sliding plate A Which is connected to the starting lever as before.i i i It is evident that various modifications might bemaderin thedetails of the apparatus described above and illustrated in the drawingwithout in any Way altering the essential character of the apparatus.

"What I claim anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is A; manuallyoperated starting apparatus for internal combustion engines, comprising,in combination, a cylindrical casing providedwith alongitudinal slot, athrust bearing at each end of said casing, a rotary drum iournaledthere1n,a ratchet Wheel at one end of said drum, an endless inclinedgroove formed in the surface of the drum proceeding from a point nearone end of the drum and coinciding With one end of ber supported nearone side of the casin L- a:

and parallel to the axis of the drum, a proection upon said memberengaging in the endless groove in the drum and Working on said groove inthe casing, a pawl Within the casing adapted to engage the said ratchetto permit rotary movement in one direction only manually operated meansfor reciprocating said member and means for transmitting the rotation ofthe drum to an engine shaft.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification. a

HERBERT JAMES SIMPSON.

